Crew Aboard World Ocean Race Team

I am lost, wandering in a forest of uncertainty.  Uncertainty about life, my purpose, what to do and where to go.  Despite my parents’ good intentions, I still remember growing up listening to the sounds of their arguments, dishes smashing against the floor, insults and shouts through my closed door.  We never lacked the necessities thanks mostly to my dad, though I rarely saw him.  It’s easy to underestimate how much a young boy needs his father to be there, to explain to him the ways of being a man.  My most vivid childhood memory is of my beaming 10yr old smile being wiped off my face when I handed my seldom-seen dad my report card only to be “grounded” for finding a single B+ among the numerous A’s.  And so my perfectionism begins in sadness.  

Of course my mother would try to make up for my father’s coldness by showering me and my siblings for years with an overabundance of superficial praise. Their intentions were innocent, but their mixed signals only served to confuse me further.  Am I doing the right thing? Am I a good person? The earliest time I can remember my dad telling me he loved me was the day I left for military college—by that time I had already wandered too deep into the forest alone with no map and no compass.  I couldn’t really hear it. Almost a decade later the parents stopped fighting with each other so much and we’ve reconciled (mostly), but I remained among the trees, not knowing where to go or how to get out. 

And then I found the ocean.

I had never sailed or stepped foot on a sailboat, but once the dream of freedom, challenge, and adventure took hold there was no stopping me.  It started out as a blurry compilation of fantasies, but within short order the thought of sailing around the world became as sharp as a razor. My brother joined in of course, and we have been planning it on our own ever since.  A complicated task for two novices, years in the making. Here is our blog :)

Then this past February I decided to apply for the 2019-20 Clipper Round-the-World yacht race on a whim.  Why not?  I could use the experience, and they’ll probably say no.  To my great surprise and excitement, the folks at Clipper offered me a crew contract.  Without hesitation I signed my name on the dotted line for the Australia-to-China leg, hoping I could raise enough money for the whole circumnavigation. 

I’m sure some of you reading this are thinking it will be some kind of vacation. My time with Clipper is sure to be fun no doubt, experiencing new parts of the world in a soaking-wet-and-cold-at-all-times-for-weeks-with-other-people-as-crazy-as-I-am kind of way, but to me it is so much more than that.

Not only will our individual boats become the type of close-knit family I have only glimpsed around others, but the entirety of our racers will be helping to support UNICEF, a branch of the UN dedicated to improving the lives of children around the world.  I have never supported a cause in a sponsorship sort of way before, and I am new to the feeling.  I’m hoping it will bring out the more philanthropic part of me that has been hiding in the shadows for far too long.

There is no telling if this trip will help me get out of the forest or figure out what to do thereafter, but I certainly feel like I am making progress so far.  While I can likely promise you nothing more than your own personal satisfaction for helping someone like me and also the opportunity to live vicariously through my Clipper crew diary, I am hoping that through your generosity I am able to extend this trip for as long as possible by your donation here and now. Below is how your collective donations will be used: 

Milestone 1 – 4-week training package - £ 6,000 (~ $ 8,266 USD)

Milestone 2 – Sailing gear (Approx. $ 1,000 USD)

Milestone 3 – Leg 1 – UK to South America - £ 7,000 (~ $ 9,644 USD)

Milestone 4 – Leg 2 – South America to South Africa - £ 5,500 (~ $ 7,577 USD)

Milestone 5 – Leg 3 – South Africa to Western Australia - £ 7,000 (~ $ 9,644 USD)

Milestone 6 – Leg 6 – Asia to North American West Coast - £ 5,500 (~ $ 7,577 USD)

Milestone 7 – Leg 7 – West Coast to Panama to East Coast - £ 6,500 (~ 8,955 USD)

Milestone 8 – Leg 8 – East Coast to UK - £ 7,000 (~ $ 9,644 USD)

Milestone 9 – Living expenses for 11 months ($ 5,000 USD)

Milestone 10 – Leg 4 – Western Australia to Eastern Australia - £ 6,000 (~ $ 8,266 USD)

Milestone 11 – Leg 5 – Eastern Australia/New Zealand to Asia - £ 6,000 (~ $ 8,266 USD)

             
TOTAL:         $ 83,839 USD

 
The more that I am able to raise here, the more experience I’ll hopefully be able to bring to the table in my and my brother’s own sailing adventure (in case you missed it, our blog is here ). I would also ask that you please share my story and help spread the word.  I thank you in advance for helping a wanderer find his way :)

- Anthony